The number of suicides in America hit a record high last year, reaching nearly 50,000.
Newly released data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that 1,266 more people took their own lives in 2022 compared to 2021 – an increase of three percent.
And since 2014, suicides have decreased by 16 percent.
Additionally, the agency said the final, most recent number will likely be higher as death information is verified.
Data from death certificates suggests that suicides are more common in the United States today than at any time since World War II.
Newly released data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows a four percent increase in suicides since 2019. The increase since the turn of the century is attributed to the worsening economy and skyrocketing unemployment rates
The new data shows that the number of suicides also increased by more than 1,000 between 2020 and 2021.
Suicide is now the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States.
But among 10- to 34-year-olds, suicide is the second leading cause of death, behind unintentional injuries such as accidental drug overdoses.
Experts say one reason for the recent year-on-year increases is because the country’s mental health has deteriorated following the pandemic, leaving many people grieving, isolated and anxious.
They said the rise of social media has also played a role, leading to comparisons that harm mental health and make people feel like they’re not good enough.
Other factors that promote mental illness include rising costs of living and stagnating salaries.
A 2020 study found that people who suffer from financial stress are 20 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who don’t.
A persistent shortage of healthcare professionals probably also plays a role.
Federal data shows that about half of Americans live in an area without a mental health professional, and 8,500 more are needed to close the gap.
Experts have also pointed to the increasing supply of addictive opioid drugs such as fentanyl and heroin.
Addictions can both trigger and exacerbate mental health problems,
A 2020 study found that a total of nearly 92,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. that year, with about 8,000 of those recorded as intentional.
Easy access to weapons has also contributed to a staggering increase.
The United States has long been criticized for the rising number of gun deaths, which experts say could be contributing to the number of suicides.
A 2022 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the U.S. recorded a record 45,222 gun deaths in 2020 and gun-related suicides increased by one percent.
Most available data showed that more than half (54 percent) of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021 were suicides.
Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president for research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said, “I don’t know if you can talk about suicide without talking about guns.”
The erosion of family values has also contributed. A 2022 study reinforced that low levels of parental concern are linked to greater numbers of suicide attempts among young people with mental health problems.
The data also showed some interesting trends regarding the demographics of those most at risk for suicide.
Men aged 75 and older had the highest suicide rate last year, at nearly 44 per 100,000 people – twice as high as those aged 15 to 24.
Although women are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, men are four times more likely to commit suicide.
American Indians and Alaska Natives also have rates nearly twice those of other Americans.
The suicide rate among children ages 10 to 14 and 15 to 24 fell 18 percent and nine percent, respectively, last year compared to 2021, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
However, women aged 25 to 34 were the only group of women to see a significant increase in suicide rates in 2022.
The suicide rate fell slightly in 2019 and fell again in 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic.
Some experts attributed this to a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and natural disasters, when people pull together and support each other.